Greg Oden is entering the NBA draft.

“He’s the kind of kid that, even though he’ll have a lot of money, he needs to do more than just basketball,” Greg Oden Sr. said. “They had an exciting season, but why take the chance on him getting hurt?”

The elder Oden also said Conley and fellow Ohio State freshman Daequan Cook also were expected to put their names in the draft.

The players have until midnight on April 29 to declare whether they intend to make themselves available for the NBA draft.

Translation: Ohio State is Eff-ed. Everyone pretty much assumed Oden was gone, but most speculation was that Mike Conley Jr. was going to return; I hadn’t heard a single thing about Daequan Cook leaving early.

This should lock up Oden as the number one pick. Some speculate Kevin Durant will be the fist chosen, but I think it’s going to be hard for any team to not take a 7′1″, 280 pound grown man (who’s thirty).

Well, it’s official: There will be a Florida/Ohio State rematch, one that everyone’s hoping will be a little more suspenseful than what we watched back in January. I hope it is, because the Final Four hasn’t been very exciting thus far, making it the second year in a row that it’s falling short of tradition.

Ohio State beat a Georgetown team that looked lackadaisical at best, and Florida won a game I’m not sure anyone really thought they’d lose (I mean, think about: UCLA’s team is no better than it was last year, and Florida’s certainly isn’t worse). Which brings us to this: On one hand, you’ve got a team with a 7-foot 30 year old, an incredible freshman point guard, and a coach who continues chewing gum that lands on the basketball court. On the other hand, you’ve got a team that won the national title last year, beat your football team’s brains in (which, I might add, also was for a national title), and has a 7-foot girl who says and does really strange things.

My prediction is Florida, but I just hope it’s close. There weren’t very many upsets this year — VCU over Duke was the closest thing, and a lot of people picked that — so I’m hoping for a good final game that can cancel out the otherwise dull recent events. When it’s all said and done, I hope Greg Oden’s last collegiate game runs a little smoother than Troy Smith’s.

I haven’t ventured into betting on March Madness yet because, well, it’s incredibly unpredictable. But with only the best of the best around, it becomes a little easier to sift through the lines and make a solid bet.

-Georgetown/Ohio State (Pick ‘Em): I haven’t liked Georgetown this whole time, only because I think they’re too big and too clumsy. I figured North Carolina would run them out of the gym, but not playing defense in the final six minutes proved to be more prevailing. On the other hand, I feel Ohio State’s been lucky — I thought both Xavier and UT should’ve walked off a winner, but both choked in the final couple of minutes. I think Georgetown’s size is good, but Oden is better. And Georgetown doesn’t have a guard that can hang with Mike Conley, Jr. Take the Buckeyes.

-UCLA/Florida (-3): The only thing you know about the Gators is that they’re going to start slow and finish fast. A lot of people like UCLA to upset, but I have to ask: Is this UCLA team better than the one that made it to the finals last year? And is this Florida team worse? I think the answer to both is a resounding ‘No.’ Which gives me no reason at all to not think the Gators cover the field goal.

Wisconsin 48, Ohio State 49: I’ve commented on it all season, so I figure I’ll harp some more about it now (it’s tough being right: If Wisconsin plays a team that’s solid down low, they’re going to have a hard time beating anybody with their three point shooting. The Badgers were 5-17 from beyond the arch, and Alando Tucker led all Wisonsin players with 12 points. Greg Oden had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. They won and all, but I think Greg Oden needs to get the ball a little more so he takes more than the 8 shots he took in this game.

Houston 64, Memphis 77: Every time I write about this team, it seems they’ve just played another .500 patsy. They play good defense on paper, but I think this might be a high-seeded, early exit come March Madness.

Kentucky 65, Vandy 67: Seems like a long time ago that everyone was getting pumped up about Kentucky’s game with Florida that might catapult them into the top 10 (they lost, of course). Kentucky’s lost four of their last five, and still have to play Georgia and then travel down Florida to finish the season. They lose those two, I’m not sure they’ll get a bid.

Duke 67, St. John’s 50: It’s unfortunate, but it also seems like a long time ago that we were discussing the possibility of Duke not making the Dance. They’ve rattled off four-straight, and Greg Paulus — who just seems really irritating to watch — is finally starting to contribute on offense.

North Carolina 87, Maryland 89: Well, you can go ahead and stamp Maryland as being in the tournament. I’m wondering who’s fallen faster: UNC, Wisconsin or Florida.

Wake Forest 61, Georgia Tech 75: Were you really expecting me to headline another college game over my Yellow Jackets? This was win number 18 for Georgia Tech, who has games left against UNC and Boston College at home, and Virginia on the road. GT will need to beat Boston College and play UNC close, I think, to make sure they get a bid. Nineteen wins in the ACC is generally enough, but with teams like Michigan State — who thought to be out, according to most of the bracketology stuff I read — beating Wisconsin, things get a little trickier. Oh yeah. Javaris Crittenton, a freshman I’m quite fond of, had 22 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds.

South Carolina 49, Florida 63: It’s never good to have to play Florida after they’ve lost, something the ‘Cocks just found out firsthand. It also doesn’t help South Carolina’s chances when they only score 13 points in a half. Al Hortford scored 20 points, and Joakim Noah didn’t punch anybody. He’s gone after cheerleaders and coaches now, so we’re thinking the next road game, maybe a fan.

NC State 64, UNC 83: The Tar Heels got their revenge from their loss to the Wolfpack earlier in the season. Hansbrough dropped 20 and freshman Brandan Wright led the team with 24. I wasn’t able to watch this game, but I get the feeling that in person Ty Lawson looked a lot better than his five points in the box score would indicate.

Vanderbilt 70, Mississippi State 83: So much for that big win against Florida. It’s usually hard to win games, though, when you allow the other team to shoot 54% from the field.

Penn State 60, Ohio State 68: Jamar Butler was 4-6 beyond the arch, and Greg Oden had a double-double (17 and 14) to help — number one? — Ohio State win its 12th straight game. While that’s impressive, the teams they’ve beaten aren’t (Tennessee was the only tournament team they beat — Michigan State and Purdue, bubble teams, were the other quality wins).

Alabama 66, Tennessee 69: It’s hard to win when your best scorer, and maybe best shooter in the nation, goes 3-15 from beyond the arch, but Tennessee found a way. Chris Lofton played like garbage, but still managed 20 points. JuJuan Smith scored 16 to help the Vols get a much needed win.

Duke 78, Boston College 70: They were up 20 at one point, and BC put on a nice comeback, but it was all for not in the end. Josh McRoberts had 18 points and 12 rebounds in a game Duke desperately needed. It’s always nice to know that Duke is heating up just before they play Georgia Tech. *sigh*

Ohio State 64, Penn State 62: The Buckeyes led this one 40-19 at halftime, but apparently a Nittany Lion is a pesky lion. Greg Oden had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and in the ESPN day of Greg Oden Goodness, nothing else matters. He shoots left handed, right handed, blocks shots, wins games, and occasionally saves a life. My question: Is this guy really only 18, or is this like the little league world series where you find out these kids aren’t 11 at all, but really 30?

Alabama 67, Florida 76: It’s going to be hard for me to not pick this team to win it all. I hate going with everybody’s favorite, but they’re just too deep: Four of their five starters had double digits, and they outscored ‘Bama 45-25 in the second half when they really had to turn it on.

Wisconsin 75, Minnesota 62: It’s been official for a while, but I’ll go ahead and announce it now: Alando Tucker is a badass. He had 29 points and 9 boards, but I still think that Wisconsin is going to get hurt in The Dance, because they simply don’t have guards that can shoot.

Memphis 69, Tulsa 52: Memphis held Tulsa to 16-50 from the field. You don’t need to see a score to know Memphis won (but I provided you with one, anyway; it’s called being generous). I hate to harp on something I’ve already mentioned 250 times, but one of Memphis’ three losses was to Georgia Tech. . . just hoping the committee is reading.

Utah 43, Air Force 69: This might be a popular sleeper come March. They control the ball, they shoot threes, and they have solid big men. Their one problem: No guards, much like Wisconsin.